Chapter 814 ".....there is no such thing as changing factions."


    Upon hearing the question, she looked at Aron as though wondering why he would even ask something so obvious. However, the expressionsted only a moment before she remembered that Aron was not from her civilization and likelycked enough understanding of the Xor’Vaks to know there was no need to pose such a question.


    "In our civilization, there is no such thing as changing factions. Once you join one, you are bound to it for life. That’s why factions only form around individuals deemed talented enough—those who, with sufficient resources, are believed to have the potential to grow strong enough to challenge the Grand Xor’Vak and win.


    Anyone who even considers switching sides would not be epted by the opposing faction and would be branded a traitor, losing all trust. Such individuals would be cast out and might even face exile.


    So, although my situation is unique, those in my faction will remain loyal to me as long as I don’t explicitly tell them to leave. On the other hand, if the Grand Elder takes advantage of this situation to have me disqualified from challenging him—effectively ordering them to leave my faction—that could change things. Even then, they wouldn’t join any other faction. Once someone swears loyalty to a cause, it cannot be transferred.


    In fact, I could even ask them toe and serve you alongside me if that’s what you wanted, and they wouldply without hesitation. Either way, their positions are essentially fixed, as they will remain wherever they are until a new Grand Elder rises and redistributes benefits to those in their own faction."


    Upon hearing her exnation, Aron nodded and took a moment to think before asking, “Do you need their aid in your preparation to get stronger in terms of sparring and simr activities, or can you handle it on your own as long as I provide all the required resources for you to improve?”


    “If the resource aspect is fully covered on your side, I would only need a few of them to assist me during the preparation period to handle specific tasks. I can assign duties to those who won’t be directly involved with me during this time, or, if you have something you need them to do, I can order them to carry it out,” she replied confidently.


    “We’ll discuss that in detail in a moment,” Aron said, “but first, what exactly are the resources you need to get stronger?” He paused, realizing he had just implied he would cover all her resource needs without knowing what those entailed.


    “Lots of mana, spatial stones from the Trinarian home, spiritual roots of peace from Zelvora, the...” She began listing item after item, her pace steady and unwavering. More than a minute passed, and it became clear she had no intention of stopping anytime soon.


    Throughout her lengthy exnation, Aron simply focused on the hovering screen in front of him, which was being updated in real time with the exhaustive list of items she mentioned. Most of the resources were unfamiliar to him, and he had no idea about their rarity or cost. This left him uncertain whether he should already feel regret for hinting at covering such a massive responsibility—resources that had previously required an entire faction from the strongest race in the Conve to gather for just one prospect.


    Despite this, Aron was resolute. He knew that whatever he was going to gain in the end would far outweigh the investment he would have to make now. Even if it required an enormous effort and resources, he was willing to take the necessary steps to increase the odds of sess in his broader n.


    Once she finally finished listing everything, Seraphina remained silent, gazing at Aron as she patiently waited for his response.


    Aron took another thorough look at the list,mitting the items to memory before turning to Nova. "Have all of these added to the list of items we’re willing to barter for mana stones. Ensure the trades are diversified, involving a mix of othermodities, and limit the exchanges to civilizations capable of providing these resources. Also, require each civilization to sign a non-disclosure agreement about the specifics of what they’re bartering. Frame it as avoiding inter-civilization disputes over unequal trade deals. We can’t afford anyone piecing together this data and deducing our ns."


    {Understood, sir,} Nova replied promptly. She immediately transmitted the orders and the list, along with all relevant context, to GAIA. As the entity overseeing governmental matters, GAIA would manage the delicate bnce of what was disclosed and to whom.


    Meanwhile, Seraphina’s outward demeanor remainedposed, but internally, her thoughts were in disarray. She had anticipated that once Aron reviewed the extensive list of resources, he would expect her faction to take on some of the burden since they were already ustomed to fulfilling these needs for her. What she hadn’t expected was his swift and decisive eptance of the responsibility. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    She understood just how rare and exorbitantly expensive many of these materials were, even excluding mana, the most valuable resource of them all. For her faction, securing just a small portion of these items annually had already been a significant challenge. Now, Aron was nning to take on the entire burden himself, leaving her both astonished and uncertain about his true depth of resources and intentions.


    What Seraphina didn’t know was that Aron had no intention of maintaining the same level of expenditure every year. The bulk of the cost woulde from the initial purchase. Once the materials were secured, he would have them scanned and analyzed, allowing the atomic printers to reproduce anything that didn’t involve exotic energy. For items requiring exotic energy, he would only need to purchase those specific resources while theb city researchers worked on ways to replicate the energy or develop better alternatives.


    Aron saw no reason to disclose this information to Seraphina. She didn’t need to know about the intricacies of his resource management or the advanced capabilities of his empire’s technology. For now, it was enough that she saw him as fullymitted to providing what she needed. This perception would serve his ns well.


    Beyond that, Lab City had already begun its research using the brain data collected when Seraphina logged into VR, as well as the physical data gathered when she passed through the disinfecting corridor of Aron’s ship. The researchers were actively studying different ways to enhance her strength further.


    They were also waiting for the scanned data of the materials she had listed to analyze how those resources contributed to her growth and to explore potential improvements. Their objectives were threefold: first, to identify alternatives that could rece some of the materials; second, to optimize the use of the resources to minimize waste; and third, to develop methods to elerate her progress or increase the efficiency of strength gained rtive to the resources invested.


    The ultimate goal was to refine and potentially surpass the existing methods of strengthening her, ensuring the best possible oue with the least amount of wasted effort or resources.